Pakistan's Taliban says it has offered Imran Khan its protection for a peace march into militant-infested tribal areas at the weekend.

The former national cricket captain now heads a political party and has emerged as one of the leading critics of America's covert programme of lethal drone strikes.

On Sunday he plans to address a rally in South Waziristan, an area where security forces continue to mount operations against militant bases.

Senior commanders with the Pakistan Taliban said a recent meeting headed by the group's leader Hakimullah Mehsud set aside earlier instructions to send suicide bombers to assassinate the former all-rounder.

Instead the group noted Mr Khan's strident opposition to US drone strikes against militants in its territory as it reversed course to offer security assistance.

A spokesmen said: "We are ready to provide them security if they need. We endorses Imran Khan's plea that drone strikes are against our sovereignty," he said. "The anti-drone rallies should have been taken out by the religious leaders long ago but Imran had taken the lead and we wouldn't harm him or his followers."

At a press conference, Mr Khan said he had been promised the support of local tribes but was worried the government was opposed to allowing foreign peace campaigners and journalists to attend.

"We feel no threat from any side but feel threatened by the forces which have been playing politics on this issue," he said. "The government should take steps to provide security to the media persons, who would be covering the every bit of the proposed peace march."

In public the Islamabad government has called for an end to the strikes, arguing they breed support for militant groups, but privately is believed to approve the tactic as a means of taking out insurgent leaders.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has recorded at least 2570 deaths since 2004 in 346 drone strikes.